Fresh questions have emerged over claims by Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) Chairman Clarence Massaquoi that the Authority is currently monitoring telecommunications traffic, with multiple industry sources and individuals familiar with the country's telecommunications infrastructure asserting that the LTA lacks the technical capacity to conduct comprehensive, real-time traffic monitoring.
The assertions come days after Massaquoi publicly indicated that the Authority is monitoring telecommunications traffic and disclosed that the LTA has entered into a three-year agreement with Numtel Liberia.
However, several sources within the LTA and others with direct knowledge of Liberia's telecommunications monitoring systems told the Daily Observer that effective traffic monitoring requires far more than the physical presence of monitoring equipment.
According to the sources, an operational traffic monitoring system must maintain secure, real-time connections with licensed telecommunications operators to collect signaling and traffic data directly from designated network interfaces. The information is then processed through specialized software that analyzes call records, routing information, signaling data, fraud indicators, and revenue-related information used by regulators to verify operators' declarations and ensure accurate government revenue collection.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The sources maintained that without valid software licenses, operational monitoring platforms, and active interfaces with telecommunications operators, a monitoring center cannot perform meaningful regulatory traffic monitoring.
One source familiar with the system alleged that the monitoring platform originally installed by Global Voice Group (GVG) during its contract with the Government of Liberia has become technologically outdated and no longer supports modern telecommunications networks without significant software upgrades.
According to the same source, while much of the physical infrastructure remains in place, the proprietary software licenses required to operate and continuously update the system were not transferred to the Government following the expiration of GVG's contractual relationship. As a result, the source claimed, the existing equipment cannot be fully utilized to perform the functions expected of a modern telecommunications traffic monitoring system.
The Daily Observer has not independently verified these technical claims, and Global Voice Group has not publicly commented on the specific allegations.
Telecommunications experts say independent traffic monitoring systems are widely used by regulators around the world to strengthen oversight, detect international call bypass fraud, verify operators' traffic declarations, monitor international gateway traffic, reconcile regulatory revenues, and generate audit trails.
Such systems, they note, rely not only on hardware but also on licensed software, continuous software updates, secure integration with operators' switching infrastructure, and advanced analytical tools capable of processing large volumes of telecommunications data in real time.
Against that backdrop, the sources questioned whether the LTA's newly announced arrangement with Numtel possesses the technical infrastructure required to deliver those functions.
They argued that the effectiveness of any traffic monitoring arrangement ultimately depends on whether it has licensed software, operational interfaces with mobile network operators, and the analytical capabilities necessary to support modern telecommunications regulation.
The sources further suggested that an independent inspection of the LTA's monitoring center could establish whether the current infrastructure is capable of performing comprehensive traffic monitoring as claimed.
The debate has also revived broader questions about transparency in the collection of telecommunications regulatory revenues since the suspension of the previous traffic monitoring arrangement. Some industry observers have called on the LTA to publish detailed figures showing revenues collected during the intervening period, arguing that greater disclosure would strengthen public confidence in the sector.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The Authority has not publicly released comprehensive data addressing those concerns.
The renewed controversy follows the Government of Liberia's suspension of the previous telecommunications traffic monitoring agreement with Telecom International Alliance (TIA). A Joint Legislative Committee that reviewed the matter subsequently recommended that the dispute be resolved through renegotiation, as provided for under the agreement, rather than through outright termination.
As discussions continue over the future of telecommunications traffic monitoring in Liberia, industry observers say the central issue remains whether the country currently possesses an independently verifiable, technically functional system capable of monitoring telecommunications traffic, assuring government revenues, and providing effective regulatory oversight.
